A European night for the ages
There was joy, heartbreak, doom and gloom on a 64-goal, 18-game Uefa Champions League night across Europe on Wednesday.
For the first time in European Cup history, 18 games were played on the very same night as the inaugural league phase of the competition culminated in style.
Liverpool finished as the log leaders despite their 3-2 defeat away to PSV while Manchester City left it late to secure a place in the knockout stages with a 3-1 win over Club Bruges.
Barcelona’s 2-2 draw against Atalanta saw them seal second place while Arsenal finished in third with a 2-1 win over Girona.
Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille and Aston Villa all won and made up the remainder of the top eight, guaranteeing them a place directly into the last 16.
The Premier League’s pride was upheld as more English clubs finished in the automtic qualfying spots than any other nation.
Holders Real Madrid beat Brest 3-0 away from home; but both sides, alongside Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Benfica, PSG and Juventus, will have to get through playoff ties to continue their journeys in the competition.
Dinamo Zagreb’s 2-1 win over AC Milan was not enough to save them from elimination while Stuttgart’s 4-1 home loss to PSG sent them crashing out as well.
Pictured above: Manchester City leave it late & final Champions League standings
Source: @fabrizioromano